Sorry for the long wait, but here it is!
Everlasting Love
Chapter Nine
Kagome shivered softly as another cold breeze passed by, but Rin showed no sign that the cold weather was effecting her. Kouga, Ayame, and there pups were to their right with the remaining tribe leaders to their left; as for behind them, thousands of wolf demons traveled all together in the blizzard towards the west. It had been two days since they had left the northern cave, and with the blizzard getting back to the Western lands instead of four days it would six.
"Do you think we'll get back before Sesshoumaru?" asked Kagome, being careful not to speak too loud into the dog demons ear.
"It's hard to say . . . it depends if this blizzard keeps going . . . if it stops we should reach the Western lands in two or three days . . . but if this does keep up . . . it's hard to tell,"
Kagome nodded softly and snuggled closer into Rin's shoulder, trying to keep her head down from the wind.
The snow seemed to be getting higher and higher the farther they traveled. Kagome turned he head to the left to talk to Kouga, "Do you think we should stop?"
"No . . . we've been in worse weather than this . . . we're all doing fine!" called Kouga over the howling wind, wrapping his arm tighter around Ayame.
"Do you think Sesshoumaru is caught in the same storm?" Kagome asked Rin.
"Hopefully not," sighed Rin, trying to pick up the pace as they all marched through the snow.
Unknown to everyone they were currently watched, but due to the snowstorm their enemy was very well hidden.
"What do you think Sakurako? Can you tell how many there are?"
"No . . . with this snowstorm it's a blessing and yet a curse . . . but at least we can accomplish our task . . ."
The two dog demons disappeared into the blizzard to strategize their plan.
8888888888888
January 10th, 1553
The soft tapping sound of Inu-Yasha's claws on the floor were driving Shippo crazy for the past two hours, but didn't say anything since he didn't want to get bonked on the head again.
"What is taking Kagome and Rin so long?" growled Inu-Yasha.
Shippo simply sighed and looked out the window where Sango and Kuranosuke were currently at. The exterminator was giving the soldiers information about the demon castle and how they were not to leave at night because of the barrier.
The soft sliding of the shoji door caught Shippo's attention as Hikozaemon walked into the room and approached Inu-Yasha.
"Well?" asked Inu-Yasha.
"Apparently there is a blizzard to the North, which is probably the reason why your mate has not returned yet,"
"Well that's just fucking great," growled Inu-Yasha.
"I'm sure they are fine,"
"How can you be so sure? How do we know that they are not being attacked by your father's armies right now?"
"Because I know what my father has planned, and that is not one of them,"
"Does he know that Sesshoumaru is gathering allies?"
"He heard a rumor of it, but as to who you were seeking he had no idea, I was supposed to tell him after I killed the pups,"
Inu-Yasha nodded, "So now what? Is he going to assume your dead?"
"Dead or ran away or even perhaps joined you, I have no idea what he's going to think,"
"So what exactly does he have planned?"
"I think that would be best to discuss once Sesshoumaru returns, after all he is the leader in this,"
Inu-Yasha wanted to argue, but decided to drop it since fighting amongst themselves was not wise at this time, "And what about your sister? Was she assigned to do anything?"
"Not that I know of . . . although . . . father was doing a lot of research on the human that used to live here at the castle. He doesn't think that she's dead,"
Inu-Yasha sighed, almost wanted to slam his head into the wall, "You mean he hasn't figured that out yet? Even you haven't?"
Hikozaemon shook his head, "So she is alive then?"
"Of course she's alive . . . it's Rin,"
"His mate? The dog demon?"
"Of course . . . years ago he had her blood fused with his to make her a demon,"
"I've heard of the technique . . . but I didn't think anyone ever used it anymore . . . too dangerous for humans,"
"I guess the younger they are, the more successful it is,"
Hikozaemon was silent for a moment, lost in his thoughts, "So he was ashamed that she was a human?"
"No! Of course he wasn't,"
"Then why didn't he perform the mating ritual? Like you did with your mate since she is still human. The same ritual can be used on demons . . . so why did he change her,"
That comment made Inu-Yasha's eyes go wide and a confused look on his face, "I . . . I don't know . . ." he whispered. 'I never realized it before . . . but why didn't Sesshoumaru do the same thing I did with Kagome? Rin could have stayed human and lived as long as he did . . . so why did he do that?'
"Daddy?" came a small voice.
Inu-Yasha turned to see Kenichi standing in the doorway, "Can you come play in snow?"
The half demon smiled softly and stood up, "Sure . . . is your sister already outside?"
The small pup nodded and ran towards his father who easily scooped him up onto his shoulder. Hikozaemon let a smile slipped as he watched Inu-Yasha leave the room with his pup.
"What are you smiling at?" asked Shippo.
"Nothing," sighed Hikozaemon, leaving the room as well.
Shippo shrugged and went back to looking out the window, watching now as Inu-Yasha and Sango played with their children. In the distance he could see the dark clouds to the north slowly rolling in, meaning the blizzard that was slowing Rin and Kagome down would soon arrive in the west.
888888888888888
Rin winced slightly as Kagome began coughing, the blizzard taking affect on her human body.
"Kagome . . . do you have any medicine?" asked Rin, not liking the idea of her getting a fever on the trip.
"No I don't . . . I used it on the pups,"
Rin sighed softly, picking up the pace again as they traveled through the snow. 'We should have reached the Western lands by now . . . Inu-Yasha is probably having a fit,' Her eyes scanned the area, seeing if she recognized anything to tell her how much further they had to walk before they reached the castle. A soft smile spread on her lips as her eyes caught sight of a small valley, meaning they would reach the castle tomorrow.
"Kagome . . . we'll reach the castle tomorrow . . . just hold on okay?"
Kagome nodded and snuggled closer into Rin's back, trying to keep warm. A small smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the last time she had caught the flu. 'That was last winter . . . Inu-Yasha fussed over me like a mother hen . . . he made he soup everyday . . . and wouldn't let me get out of bed unless I needed to a bath or had to go to the bathroom. Natasha even tried to make me breakfast one morning . . .' A single tear slipped down Kagome's cheek, her fingers tightening their grip on Rin's back. She missed her pups so much . . . the first thing she was going to do when they reached the castle was take her children and mate into her arms and not let go for a long time. She could just imagine right now . . . Inu-Yasha playing with the children in the snow as he waited for her return. Kenichi trying to run in the snow after his sister and father . . . Sango playing with her children near by . . . a snowball fight suddenly breaking out between them all . . . Inu-Yasha wrestling with the pups and pretending to lose . . .
Rin felt Kagome's grip tighten on her back and sighed softly, as if knowing what was going through Kagome's head. She too missed her mate . . . and could not wait to see him when he returned to the castle. Rin recalled the few days ago when Kagome asked if Sesshoumaru had ever said 'I love you' to her . . . he had said it . . . but only twice . . . the night of their mating ceremony . . . and the second had been before they had parted, he had whispered it softly into her ear. It was obvious that Inu-Yasha and Miroku would confess their feelings of love to Kagome and Sango . . . but Sesshoumaru didn't. Perhaps to some people it would bother them . . . not to hear their mate say 'I love you' to them. Of course she told Sesshoumaru all the time that she did . . . but he did not return the words . . . instead he showed with his actions . . . whether it be a small gesture during the day . . . or at night when they made love. Instead of words he telegraphed his love to her with his body.
Rin knew that he loved her, so she didn't need to hear the words. Her eyes drifted over to the small pups that Kouga and Ayame were carrying . . . wondering for a moment if she and Sesshoumaru would ever have children. She had always dreamed of having pups with Sesshoumaru . . . but she didn't know if he would want any. When the pups played with their uncle, she had watched in the distance, seeing if there was any sign of whether he would like pups of his own. Then again she had never brought up the topic since the night of their mating was also the night the war had started. Talking about having pups was not a discussion that should take place during a war.
"Rin . . . do you have any more water . . . I'm out," whispered Kagome.
Rin nodded softly and pulled out her bottle, handing it over, "You keep it, I'll be fine,"
Kouga growled softly, "I've never seen a blizzard last two days straight . . . it should have cleared by now,"
"That's because were moving along with it . . . it's heading towards the West which is where we're heading," informed Rin.
"Then shouldn't we stop and let it pass? I'm not saying we can't stand the cold or anything, but Inu-Yasha will have my head if Kagome gets sick,"
Rin chuckled softly, "Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for that . . . but there aren't any caves near by . . . the closest place we have for shelter now is the castle,"
Kouga nodded softly and tightened his grip on both his mate and pups as they trudged through the snow.
Sakurako growled softly from her hiding spot, watching as their enemy walked through the snow. Her servant was standing close by, waiting for her signal to attack.
"If only that stupid wolf would slow down a bit . . . then this would be so much easier . . . but we are running out of time . . . in less then a day they will reach the castle . . . this is no time to be fucking around,"
"Correct your majesty . . . so shall I go ahead?"
Sakurako shook her head, "Not yet . . . I know father said to take anyone out that got in our way . . . but . . ."
"You just wish to carry out the order without anyone getting hurt?"
"I only care about the small pups traveling so close to those to wolf demons . . . if they weren't near by we would have finished our task already,"
"I see you do have a heart for small children,"
"If you want to make it back to the South alive, you'll shut up now,"
The servant nodded, his eyes shifting to watch the enemy making their way through the snow.
Sakurako noticed a small hill that they were approaching and no doubt Rin would simply just jump to the top and then to the bottom, "Alright here is what we are going to do . . ."
Rin smiled softly as she saw a small hill up ahead, which would be her opportunity to rest for a few moments and give Kagome some medicine. Even though Kagome didn't have any, she had brought some along, but it was not going to be as affective, it would still keep her fever down. Reaching the base of the hill Rin bent her knees and leaped into the air, landing easily on top of the hill, giving her a few minutes as the wolf demons climbed. Rin worked quickly as she set Kagome down, "Hold on . . . I'm going to give you some herbs . . . should keep your fever down,"
Kagome nodded, coughing again. Rin pulled out the herbs and gave them to Kagome, and stood up for a moment to stretch as she swallowed the medicine. As Rin bent down to place Kagome on her back again, she was suddenly hit from the side. Kagome screamed as Rin went rolling down the hill before leaping to her feet, trying to see who attacked her.
"What the hell is going on?" called Kouga.
Rin didn't get a chance to answer as she was hit again, harder then before in the back, landing face first in the freezing snow. Walking three days in the snow had left her weak and at this moment unable to fight back.
"Rin!" called out Kagome, not being able to see her in the raging blizzard.
Rin pulled herself to her feet, her golden eyes scanning for any sign of her enemy even though she knew who she was fighting.
"Come out and fight me! Stop being a coward like your father and show yourself Sakurako! I can smell your scent!"
"Who's Sakurako?" asked Kouga.
"Bunrakuken's daughter," whispered Kagome as she was picked up by Ayame.
"Everyone, keep your guard up!" called Kouga to the wolf demons behind them.
Rin tried pull herself together, trying to ignore the tiredness that was taking over her body.
"Why would Sesshoumaru pick someone as weak as you . . . you may be trying to hide it . . . but I can tell that your tired . . ." hissed Sakurako, tackling Rin from the front, rolling a few times in the snow before pinning her to the ground, "We have plans for you . . . time to go to sleep,"
Before Rin could protest the servant placed a piece of cloth over her nose and mouth. Her dog demon nose becoming her weakness, causing Rin to pass out in the snow. Working fast the servant picked up Rin and disappeared into the blizzard with Sakurako at his heels.
"Rin! Rin!" cried out Kagome, "Someone go after her!"
"Everyone stay where you are!" called Kouga, noticing as Ginta was about to go after Rin.
"What? What do you mean Kouga? We have to help her!" cried Kagome before having a coughing fit.
"I hate to say it but there's nothing we can do. It will be impossible to track them in this fucking blizzard. Besides I find that those bastards are going to find that their luck is going to run out pretty quick,"
"How so Kouga?" asked Ayame, holding Kagome tight as she finished her coughing.
"She's Sesshoumaru's mate after all . . . and he's probably taught her all his fighting techniques. Right now she may be tired, but once she rests, they are going to wish they had never been born. Besides they aren't going to get very far anyway with this blizzard and it's quite a long journey to the south,"
Ayame nodded softly, "I guess that is all we can do,"
"Alright! Listen up everyone! Were picking up the pace ten fold, we are going to reach the castle tonight!"
888888888888888888
The soft glow of the candle light had caught Inu-Yasha's attention as he lay snuggled in the warm blankets of the futon. For the third night in a row he had been unable to sleep. Natasha and Kenichi lay snuggled up beside him, sleeping peacefully as he lay awake. Even though his pups were safe, he still worried for his mate since she had not returned yet.
"Kagome . . ." Inu-Yasha whispered softly into the night, desperately wanting his mate in his arms right now.
Soft furry ears twitched as they caught the sound of the wind picking up in speed, meaning the blizzard would hit any minute. 'If Kagome isn't back by tomorrow afternoon I'm going to hunt her down myself,'
It had been years since he had last had a sleepless night . . . back in the days when they were hunting down Naraku. His eyes started to droop slightly . . . his body starting to overcome to sleep.
"Inu-Yasha! Inu-Yasha!" cried Shippo, running into the room.
The half demon sat straight up, jostling his two bed mates, "What the hell is going on Shippo?" asked Inu-Yasha, wondering why the fox was up so late at night.
"The guards just spotted Kouga and his wolf demon tribe in the distance," panted Shippo.
Inu-Yasha didn't bother asking questions as he bolted out of the room, down the stairs, and outside of the castle where Hikozaemon, Jaken, and Jarlarg were standing.
"Is it really Kagome and Rin?" called Inu-Yasha.
"Yup it's them . . . although I don't see Rin," said Hikozaemon.
"Perhaps she's further back," suggested Jarlarg.
Inu-Yasha suddenly ran towards the approaching dog demon army, anxious to see his mate and not caring that a blizzard was about to start.
"Hey dog crap! Long time no see!" called out Kouga.
"What the hell happened to Kagome!"
8888888888888
January 14th 1553
Miroku smiled softly as he finally caught sight of the castle, "About time," he whispered softly.
"Yes, it is good to see home," admitted Sesshoumaru.
"I'm sure you will be glad to see Rin," chuckled Miroku, "I know I will be to see Sango,"
Sesshoumaru said nothing to comment as they headed towards the castle. The snow was much higher then before which indicated a blizzard had passed by while they had been gone.
"Well at least we made it finally," said Toran, walking up beside Sesshoumaru.
"We will be having a meeting with the others as soon as possible . . . unless you want to rest up first,"
"Tch, we cat demons don't need to rest . . . a five day march is nothing,"
"Good to know; you'll be needing that strength for the battle against Bunrakuken," commented Sesshoumaru.
Toran simply shrugged and dropped back to walk beside her siblings.
Soon they had reached the castle gates with Jaken and Jarlarg waiting for them.
"It is good to see you my Lord," said Jaken.
"Where is Rin?" asked Sesshoumaru, he had been half expecting her to be waiting for him.
"Well . . . we will explain everything once you get inside . . . Inu-Yasha and Kouga are waiting for you in the throne room," stammered Jarlarg.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he breezed past by his two servants and into the castle, "Show Toran and their army where they can stay for now,"
Jaken and Jarlarg nodded and did as they were told.
Sesshoumaru walked fast down the hallway, pushing the doors open to the throne room, almost causing them to fall off their hinges. Inu-Yasha and Kouga were standing in the middle of the throne room, their eyes on the dog demon lord.
"Where is Rin? I don't smell her scent in the castle at all!" growled Sesshoumaru.
"Well Kouga, tell him what happened," said Inu-Yasha.
Kouga sighed softly and took a deep breath before explaining what had happened during their travels to the West.
"So . . . Sakurako has abducted Rin . . ." growled Sesshoumaru, hand formed into a fist as his nails pierced into the skin, causing blood to drip onto the floor.
"That's only one thing that has occurred. A lot has happened since we last saw each other. I'm sure you caught Hikozaemon's scent," said Inu-Yasha.
"I did, and what is the situation with that?"
"I think right now we need to calm down and call a meeting so that everyone knows what the fuck is going on," suggested Inu-Yasha, shivering a little as he saw Sesshoumaru's eyes flash red.
"Very well . . ."
"I think in the morning would be best . . . right now Kagome is just getting over her flu, and it will give the panther demons a chance to rest as well,"
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"Look Sesshoumaru . . . yes they got Rin, but you have to remember that she had been traveling for almost four days in a blizzard . . . she couldn't really fight back . . . they may think she's weak, but once she's rested . . ."
"Yes I am quite aware of that . . ." interrupted Sesshoumaru, his eyes flashing red once again.
"Okay . . . so then maybe you should be calming down a bit,"
"You don't understand Inu-Yasha!"
"Understand what? You've taught Rin how to fight, I'm sure she can take care of herself,"
"That's not what I mean . . . I know very well that my mate can take care of herself . . ."
"Then what the fuck don't I understand?" asked Inu-Yasha, starting to get angry himself, "What is going on?"
TBC . . .